Demons
by siarenthander
Summary: [AU] Natalia Romanova arrives at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters with no recollection of Red Room or any other memories besides her name and training as a spy and an assassin. However, she's not quite what everyone has made her out to be. [Trigger Warning]
1. A Pretty Thing Found

**A/N: Hey guys, I haven't really written anything in a while, but I came up with this idea, so hopefully I'll continue this... Hope you guys enjoy this, and if you like this please review and follow so I have motivation to keep writing!**

**[Siaren]**

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Are you my new employer?" Natalia Romanova was seated in a chair in an interrogation as Hawkeye, a.k.a. Agent Clint Barton, walked in.

"No." Clint was wary as he approached the chair on the opposite side of the table. He had crossed paths with the Black Widow on multiple occasions before; the last time was when she had defected to the states, but Red Room had found her whereabouts and brainwashed her back into loyalty.

This time, however, was quite different. On this particular occasion, Natalia had managed to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base and had incapacitated a few new recruits before being knocked out and detained in the room they were in now.

"If I were your new employer, though, I probably would've appreciated it if you didn't take out the rookies."

"They were rookies, they don't matter too much. Besides, I got bored." Clint shot her a look, "How'd you get in here anyway?"

Natalia shrugged, looking down at her nails with complete disinterest of the topic at hand.

"Natasha, do you remember me?" The assassin tensed momentarily and relaxed again, but that small movement was enough for Barton to notice."

"How do you know my name?" Natalia's voice turned harsh.

"I've met you bef-"

"That's not possible," Natalia shook her head, "I've never laid eyes on you before."

"Did they brainwash you again?"

"Who?"

"Red Room." There was a moment of silence, Clint unsure of whether or not she was planning on defecting again, or was there to do reconnaissance and possibly kill. Slowly she responded, "I've never heard of Red Room before."

"Then why did you come here?" Clint could feel his pulse quickening. If she really didn't know what Red Room was, did that mean S.H.I.E.L.D. could use her?

"I… I don't know," Natalia looked vulnerable, something Clint had never seen from the Black Widow, "I just felt drawn here."

"Do you remember anything besides your name?"

"No."

Clint stood up suddenly, causing Natalia to raise her eyebrow questioningly. "Wait here."

"It's not like I have any other options."

Clint shot Natalia an are-you-serious-look. "Knowing you, you could escape easily and as of right now, you have at least ten different methods of killing me and fifteen methods of knocking me unconscious.

Natalia remained quiet, silently agreeing with his statement. Biting his lip, Clint left the room quickly, making sure that the door was locked before he head up to Director Nick Fury's office.

* * *

"Director."

"Barton, did you get anything out of her?" The two were standing in the director's dimly lit office, Fury's eye focusing intently on Clint. "She didn't remember anything other than her name, sir."

"And you're telling me that you believe that?" Fury paused to shake his head, "Natalia Alianove Romanova is Red Room's Black Widow, and probably the best spy and assassin from Russia."

Clint was about to argue but stopped himself, realizing that he hadn't thought of that. He felt stupid for not taking into account the spy's background and training.

"Sir, she didn't recognize me."

"So what? She's been brainwashed dozens of time in Red Room. Besides, why would she remember you?" Before Clint could respond Fury shook his head, "Never mind, don't answer that agent."

They both knew why Clint was a significant figure in Natalia's life. He had saved her on multiple occasions and he had been the reason why she had defected once before.

"So do you really think that Russia's best spy can't remember a thing?"

"Yes, sir."

Fury sighed, sitting down in his chair. "I guess we can't use her for information," he paused, contemplating options, "What do you think we should do, Barton?"

"She has assets, which S.H.I.E.L.D. could use." Fury nodded, "Exactly what I was thinking," he glanced down at his watch, "Go back to the interrogation rooms and get her; I have a meeting with the council in five minutes."

"What should I do with her?"

"Get her a room and make sure she doesn't kill anybody." Clint wasn't sure if Fury was joking or not, but knowing the Black Widow, Fury was probably dead serious.

Clint hurried back to where Natalia was, almost completely certain that she had escaped. To his surprise, however, she was still there, looking calm and collected as he entered.

"So have you been sent to kill me?"

"Actually, I was instructed to give you a room." Natalia scrunched her nose, "Why not kill me? It seems that I, a Russian assassin, invaded an American secret base, which most likely contains a lot of sensitive information, and you're not going to kill me?"

"You still remember your training, which S.H.I.E.L.D. can use to their advantage."

"Fair enough… Now, let's go to that room you were talking about."

* * *

Clint had led Natalia to a barrack section of the facility reserved for special recruits, which was presently completely vacant. On their walk there, Natalia noticed that Clint had taken them on a route where they crossed paths with no one else.

"Here," Clint stopped walking, "This is going to be your room for now. I'll send for someone to bring some clothes for you later." Clint opened the door with his access key. Natalia was fully aware that she would not receive one.

"I'll come check on you later this evening, but in the meantime, do whatever you want in the room."

"In other words, don't leave the room, even though you know I'm capable of leaving without an access card."

"Precisely." With that, Clint turned and left, the metal door sliding close behind him. Natalia would be alone for the next several hours; plenty of time to process everything that had happened.


	2. Morning Spar

**A/N: Thanks to the lovely people who followed the story! If you like what you're reading please review and follow!**  
**[Siaren]**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"So I heard you found someone?" Steve Rogers, the iconic Captain America, sat across from Clint in the mess hall. Clint nodded, "Yeah, someone I've met before." It was still early in the morning, so Clint hadn't bothered getting Natalia up for breakfast.

"Someone I'd know?" Clint shook his head, "She's a Russian spy and assassin, so I'd doubt you'd know her."

"Steve looked up from his tray. "She?"

"Yeah, Natalia Alianova Romanova. I've done some research on her and there's been some tips hinting that she may be related to the last ruling tsar of Russia, Nicholas II Romanov."

"So a royal, huh?" Steve said in between bites, "Does she command any power in Russia?"

"Not that I know of, there's never been anything that has officially traced her to the royal family. She commands power of her own without the royal name backing her anyway."

"Really, how?" Steve brushed some of his sandy blonde hair out of his face.

"She's the Black Widow, the most skilled assassin and spy from Red Room, a special recruitment team, which was used to pick up potential KGB operatives."

"How bored were you to start doing research on me?" Clint and Steve turned simultaneously as Natalia approached them. She was still dressed in the same cat suit, which she had arrived in, but her auburn hair looked like she had just showered. "Apparently very bored."

Natalia shrugged, "Like I said yesterday, I don't remember anything about that agency, so I don't actually know if you're disclosing sensitive information or not." She sat two seats down from Clint and Steve, not looking directly at either of them, but studying both of them from behind her hair.

"So," Steve cleared his throat, "Do you want anything to eat? The breakfast bar's over there if you want anything, the food's not too bad either."

"No thanks, I'm going to go train a bit," she turned towards Clint, "I assume I'm allowed to do that? Even if I'm not, I'll be training anyways, I don't like following orders." Natalia smirked before walking out again.

Steve turned to Clint, revealing a concerned expression. "Should we go after her?" Clint pondered the idea before replying. "We can after we eat… She probably won't cause too much trouble."

* * *

When they arrived at the recruit's training center, Clint and Steve were shocked when they saw two young recruits pinned by knives to one of the room's backboards. "Natasha, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Clint rushed towards her, grabbing Natalia's throwing arm, which was holding another knife. Calmly she replied, "I'm not a particular fan of cat calling, and it was rather distracting, so I just put them off to the side."

"Were you planning on killing them?" Steve questioned.

"Of course not, that'd leave too much evidence," she paused, "If I knew you two weren't going to come find me, I may have though."Clint let go of her arm and marched towards the two boys who were shaking. He glared at both of them and muttered, "If you two would like to keep your appendages, I suggest you two leave now and stay out of her sight." He deftly pulled out the two knives, and immediately the recruits scrambled out of the room.

Turning around he asked, "Now was that really appropriate, Natasha?"

"Is it appropriate to cat call? No. They deserved to be shaken up a bit." Natalia picked up the knives, which were scattered around the room on various targets. She walked over to Clint, hand held out expectantly. "Where'd you get these knives from?" Clint withheld the knives as he asked.

"Where you keep all the other weapons."

"And how did you get in there, miss. That room's locked and can only be opened with an access key." Steve interjected.

"Oh please," Natalia tossed her hair over her shoulder, "It's not that difficult to hack into a level one armory." Clint made note to tell Fury about the security breach./p

"Well maybe you should've asked first."

"Like you would let me handle weapons? Please."

"Let's spar." Steve and Natalia turned to face Clint, both with surprised expressions on their faces. "It'll be a good gauge to see where all of us are."

"Now that hardly seems fair, Clint, let's-"

"Sounds interesting." Natalia still had her arm extended. Clint looked down at her hand, and placed the knives down. "Any weapon?"

"Sure."

Natalia nodded and carefully placed the extra knives in her belt, only keep two in her hands. Clint turned to Steve who had his shield strapped to his back, waiting for Clint to give the word. Quickly, Clint shot a grappling arrow up into the room's rafters, giving him the advantage of height. Seizing the opportunity, Steve began to close the gap in between himself and Natalia.

With a quick flick of her wrists, Natalia threw the two knives at Steve, both of which he dodged. Natalia jumped over Steve's head and swiftly kicked the center of his shield, knocking him down. Steadying his bow, Clint took aim from the rafters and sent an arrow flying towards Natalia's back. Hearing the pluck of the bow's string, Natalia whipped around, craning her neck out of the way whilst grabbing the arrow's shaft.

Feeling his attacker's position shift, Steve twisted around, aiming a punch at Natalia who in turn grabbed his arm and flipped him over her, causing the air to be knocked out of him. Refocusing, Natalia sent a grappling hook just left of Clint's location. As she went up, Clint fired an arrow at her ascending figure, but the arrow was snapped in half by a knife, which was then lodged into the wall only centimeters away from Clint's head.

Landing next to him, Natalia kicked Clint's legs, sweeping him off the ground. In midair, Clint swung his bow, knocking her knife down to the training mats below. Glancing down at her empty hand, Natalia went for Clint's neck ready to pin him.

Reacting fast, Clint grabbed her arm mid swing, forcing her into a different tactic, which resulted in her punching him in the stomach and unarming him. "Archer, if you want to fight a Russian, make sure you know what to expect next time." Jumping down, Natalia landed quietly and exited the room.

Clint groaned and rolled onto his back. "Next time, it'll be more fair if we don't give her weapons."

"Agreed." 


	3. Reflection

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I've been having issues with fanfiction, but here it is.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

After slipping out of the training center, Natalia made her way down several corridors until she found her way to Clint's room. She had no malicious intentions… She was just curious as to how he kept his archery equipment organized.

After bypassing his room's security, Natalia stepped into the room where there were clearly no signs of any sort of organization system. Arrows and bows were scattered across the room as well as clothes and bed sheets, which were strewn across the floor.

Shaking her head, Natalia began to pick up the arrows, arranging them so they faced away from her. Upon further examination, she noticed that each arrow had a different color feather; the term 'cock feather' popped into her mind.

Within a few minutes, Natalia managed to organize all of the arrows together with cock feathers of the respective color. After she glanced around the room once more, she began to fill empty quivers with each group of arrows and hung the quivers up on the wall.

Sighing, Natalia surveyed the damage of the rest of the room, wondering if all males kept their rooms this messy or if it was a trait exclusive only to a certain archer.

She started next with the bows, noticing that all of them were specialized, but the mechanics seemed outdated. Natalia noted to ask Clint about the machinery of the bows later—it could come in handy if she ever needed to fight the archer in a real situation.

After arranging the bows by color on the wall above the quivers, Natalia was determined to tackle the rest of the clutter, which was on the floor—clothes, notes, and most likely crumpled wrappers of food.

Natalia couldn't help but smirk. How could, presumably, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents have a living quarter, which resembled the likes of a teenage boy? Albeit one who was insanely into archery.

For Natalia, what she was doing wasn't work for her; whether that work be personal inquiry or physical. Natalia felt a sense of peace wash over her as she went around the room, picking up wrinkled shirts as she went.

From the condition of the rest of the room, Natalia gathered that all the shirts on the ground were dirty and promptly put them into Clint's hamper, which by the time she was done was almost overflowing.

When Natalia was satisfied that the floor had been adequately cleaned, she proceeded on covering his bed, which turned out to be surprisingly difficult since his bed sheets were in odd arrangements, nest like.

Looking around the room, Natalia felt content, overwhelmingly satisfied that all of the archer's gear was now in a logical order. Her body stiffened as footsteps could be heard in the hallway. Quickly, she unhinged the vent's grate, which was above Clint's bed and slipped out of the room undetected.

* * *

"You worried about her?" Steve shot Clint a look before taking a sip of his beer.

After recovering from the combined shock and pain from the spar, the two agents had left the compound to get some drinks in town. Since neither of them had wanted to go to their rooms to change, they were both wearing long coats to hide their attire.

"Are you asking if I'm worried about what she can do or if I'm worried about her memory?" Clint sighed, staring into his whiskey.

"Uh, well, I actually didn't think about the latter part of your statement."

Clint's lip twitched up slightly. He'd been working with the Captain since he'd been re-assimilated into modern society. While he'd been gone, Steve had missed a lot of things… Like the infamous Black Widow.

Steve was a good man, a strong soldier. Sometimes, though, Clint thought that he was still too naïve for this new era.

Clint shrugged, "Yeah, I'm worried about her. She doesn't seem to have changed much," he smirked, "She still has her attitude and fierceness. She still always looks like she's hiding though."

Steve's head perked up. "Hiding? What's she hiding from if she doesn't remember anything?"

"She was trained like that, Steve. She's not a solider, like you, who was trained to rely and be there for others. Natasha was trained to be an assassin; someone who doesn't trust or get close to anyone…"

"But?" Steve looked over at Clint quizzically. "Sounds like you know her through more than just your research, Clint."

Clint sighed, leaning back in his bar stool, arm still extended holding the glass. "Yeah, I do know her more than that." Steve remained silent, waiting for Clint to continue. Clint paused before he continued, reliving his past in flashbacks before closing his eyes.

"I first met Natasha when she was still in the KGB. She was in the states doing an undercover as a high society lady. Me, being broke, thought it might be a prime opportunity to make some fast cash, so I shot an arrow at her from a nearby building." Clint shook his head slightly, smiling at the memory.

"Little did I know that she was a trained assassin who could hear the faintest sound of a weapon being aimed at her. Suddenly, she just whips around and throws a knife that hits me square in the shoulder. This is from a sidewalk and I'm up on a three-story apartment building."

"Anyway, she begins to interrogate me, and I'm positive that I'm going to die then and there, but then she asks about my bow. I told her I hadn't been shooting for too long, but I guess my skill impressed her."

"Oh, aren't you so modest." Steve teased.

"Hey, it saved my life." Clint closed his eyes again, refocusing. "I worked with her for several years and we became a bit more than colleagues." Clint stopped talking, leaving Steve to wonder whether or not he was going to continue.

"We were doing a mission in the states, and S.H.I.E.L.D. found me and kept me hostage. After a while, I realized that I had been brainwashed by Red Room so I would be loyal to them."

"Is that what they did to Natasha, too?"

"Yes. And they brainwash you as many times as they need to so they can ensure absolute loyalty." Clint went quiet again, downing the rest of his drink, allowing Steve to let everything to soak in.

"She doesn't know who you are, does she?" Clint shook his head. "It wouldn't be the first time either," he sighed, "At one point I got her to defect to the states, but they took her again, brainwashing her back into loyalty, making me the enemy."

Steve looked over at his friend whose head was hung in defeat over his empty glass. Clint was stroking a faint scar under his chin. A scar, which Steve assumed was one of the missions Clint and Natasha had gone on together.

"You really loved her, didn't you?" Clint nodded slowly. "She'll get her memory back, alright? She's gonna remember you." Clint sighed, "Yeah, hopefully. Maybe it's better if she doesn't remember her past, though."


	4. Dance, Girl, Dance

**A/N: So sorry for the ****_overwhelmingly_**** late update, but I've had some issues with fanfiction recently. Also, apologies if there are any grammatical or spelling errors.**

**If you like this story, please review; it means a lot!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"Natasha, what the hell did you do to my room?" Clint approached Natalia, who had managed to clear out the recruit training room yet again. She spun around, throwing a knife at a target, which was behind Clint, barely missing his head?

"What are you taking about, Agent Barton?"

"Oh, haha, you know what I'm talking about." When Clint had returned to base last night, he had walked into a room, which he didn't recognize. Everything was orderly and had a place in the room; not like a bird's nest with miscellaneous treasures.

"No, I don't believe that I do."

"Natasha, I know it was you. The room's spotless, and the only person who'd have the gall to bypass the room's security would be you."

"How do you know someone with an access card didn't go into your room and clean it?" Natalia countered, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't believe that the higher-ups would drop by my room just because they felt like cleaning."

"I took nothing, if that's what you're worried about," she shrugged, "I was bored last night, and assumed your room was a mess, so now it's clean."

Clint suppressed a sigh, unsure of whether or not he should thank her or hurt her for trespassing in his room. "OK, whatever. That's not what I wanted to talk about, though."

Clint pulled up a file, turning it around to face Natalia. "Steve and I are being sent on a mission to bring back a target."

"And I'm guessing you want me to tag along because your boss doesn't want to talk to them over tea."

"Yeah, something like that. We'll be going to a remote area in Europe."

"You're not allowed to tell me where?"

"It's not relevant to the mission. Anyway, the target is an assassin from Hydra, but that group has disbanded, leaving a rogue killer, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier wandering around Europe murdering innocents."

"And how do you know his location?"

"A C.I. tipped us off."

"What time are we leaving?"

"Tonight, 19:00. Meet me at my room and don't be late." Natalia nodded, before leaving the training center.

* * *

Like clockwork, Natalia had arrived at Clint's room dressed in her cat suit and already armed with a pair of matching handguns and knives, which were sheathed and strapped around her thighs and belt.

The trio said nothing as they walked to one of the subterranean hangars, which held S.H.I.E.L.D.'s advance planes that were equipped with special cloaking features. Before boarding, Clint and Steve were pulled to the side to be briefed once again by Agent Maria Hill.

"What if she remembers anything?" Steve asked.

"She hasn't recalled any of her memories so far, so let's hope it stays that way."

"Yeah, but we're gonna be in Russia, Agent. That's where she was born and raised for half her life, so I'm pretty damn sure at least one thing will trigger her memory." Clint responded in a harsh whisper.

Maria hesitated before responding. She was aware that Clint had had an intimate relationship with Natalia previously and knew better than to infuriate one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents. "Just do what you think is best, Barton."

Clint sighed and turned to walk back to Natalia, knowing that his conversation with the agent was over. Steve followed closely behind, feeling his friend's uneasiness.

"Anything that you two can tell me?"

"No." Natalia rolled her eyes and boarded her plane, strapping herself into a seat near the pilot, who shot her a wary look before hurriedly looking aware. It was long enough for Natalia to notice, however, and she simply smirked, seemingly satisfied that her presence unsettled people.

"The flight's going to be about six hours, so make yourselves comfortable." The pilot spoke through the headphones, which in Clint's opinion seemed unnecessary since they were all in such close proximity.

"Being in planes always makes me happy."

"Even if you know you're on a mission?" Natalia raised her eyebrow.

"I just don't think about it." Steve replied.

* * *

"We're here." Clint nodded at Natalia. "The parachute is right behind you. Make sure to put it on tight and don't deploy the parachute until we're at canopy level."

"What, do you think you're talking to an amateur, archer?"

Wordlessly, Clint slid open the door. "Jump after Steve. We plan at the bottom." With that, Clint jumped out, descending in what looked like a slowed state due to the snow encircling him. After him went Steve who looked more like a firework spark falling after it burst. Finally Natalia, whose body looked fluid; clearly something she had done many times before.

On the forest floor, the team regrouped, each of them adjusting to the cold environment. "The target's been reportedly spotted lurking around this part of the woods. Specifically at one of Hydra's old bases."

"Hydra?" Natalia shot a look at Clint, knowing that he couldn't refuse answering.

"It's a debunked secret division of the German military, which created and stole advance weaponry to further their cause primarily in the world war eras."

"A member of my squad and my best friend got killed by one of those Hydra bastards." Steve added quietly.

"Okay, so we're looking for an empty fortress in these woods? That seems completely sound, Barton." Natalia quipped.

"We have it's location," Barton responded irritably, "It's due north, so we just have to go forward, and we should be there in half a mile or so."

"Oh how delightful, that means lots of team bonding time."

"Uh huh." Steve and Clint responded in unison, both unsure of how to react to the assassin's seemingly deceitful enthusiasm.

* * *

"Clint, could this be a part of the base?" They had been walking for half an hour when Steve knocked his foot against what looked like a secret passage into the base. "Yeah, looks like it. I'm gonna go in. You and Natasha can go look around some more for the target."

"So where are you from, Cap?" As the two departed, Natalia continued with her interrogation-like questions, which had started when they started their trek. Apparently, Natalia's definition of team bonding was no euphemism for her sedating or torturing them.

"Brooklyn, circa 1930s."

"Yeah, I can tell, you're still too damn nice."

"Is there a problem with being nice?"

"No, it's just… It's just so uncommon in this day and age. It's refreshing, but at the same time makes you stand out, which isn't really something you want if you're working as an undercover agent, now is it?"

Steve shrugged, "It's a habit that I just can't shrug off."

"It's a good habit." The two were quiet for a couple minutes. "You said you lost your best friend, I'm sorry to hear that," she paused, "Is anyone else you used to know still around?"

"Yeah… She makes me wish that I didn't take the serum sometimes."

Natalia turned. "You mean you'd rather be that scrawny kid just 'cause you love her?"

"Definitely. She was the first girl who gave me the time of day… Before the serum, that is."

"It sounds like the relationship was short-lived. What happened?"

"We were going on a date before the crash… I still haven't danced with my best girl."

Natalia stopped in tracks as if suddenly paralyzed. "Natasha, are you alright?" She merely blinked, not able to respond.

"_Natalia, that absolutely dreadful! You're practicing that fifty more times!"_

Whack! _"I will take absolutely no excuses as to why you're late, Natalia! Ballet demands absolute dedication!"_

_"Natalia, how could you get second place! No dinner for you until you've practiced for six hours!"_

Natalia collapsed onto the ground, shaking as the memories began to flood her mind. "I'm sorry I failed you." She whimpered softly, rocking back and forth on the snowy ground. "I'll train harder, I promise," she continued quietly, prayer-like, "I won't embarrass you again."

Steve wrapped his arms around her shoulders, trying to comfort her, but the assassin was completely detached from the world. "Clint, do you copy?" Steve waited anxiously, head whipping around in search of any threats.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Natasha. We were talking and she just went into this fit. She's not responding to me at all."

"I just took out our target, I'll go call our ride. Just hang tight, OK?"

"Affirmative."

Natalia had moved into a fetal position, hugging her knees as if they were protecting her. Lines from tears had been lightly frosted over, but Steve didn't dare touch her face, lest it worsen her already unstable state.

"Steve, is she alright?" Clint emerged from the steel door with a man thrown over his shoulder.

"I don't know. I think she is, but something I said triggered this, I feel terrible."

Clint placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Steve. Her memory's a time bomb, and it was bound to explode at any moment, it's not your fault."

Steve sighed, still unsettled. "She's strong… She'll be fine," he paused, "I think she would be more upset if we didn't get our target than what happened to her."

"You'd be surprised. She doesn't like being vulnerable."

The roar of a helicopter could be heard overhead and two ropes had been lowered. Clint nodded and Steve carefully lifted Natalia, hoisting her over his shoulder and getting a firm grip on her before grabbing onto the rope. This was definitely a mission Steve wouldn't forget.


	5. Revelations

**A/N: Hi guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I stopped this story because I wasn't too sure if I wanted to continue due to heavy content in later chapters, but I think I'll be picking this back up.**

**As always, thanks for reading, and if you like what you're reading, please review! It means a lot.**

**[Si]**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Clint was sitting on a chair next to the hospital bed Natalia was on in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s infirmary. It was 22:00 when they had returned, so after checking that their target was securely taken care of, he had sent Steve off to bed and came to Natalia's room.

In the bed's frame, Natalia looked overwhelmingly fragile. On the flight back she had passed out, presumably exhausted from crying or from the cold. Either possibility worried Clint immensely, and he refused to leave the room until she woke up.

On all of the missions that he'd been on with Natalia, Clint could remember only one instance where she had been injured, and that was on one of the last missions that he had worked with her. Clint shook his head, not wanting to think about it. His history with the woman lying in front of him was a period he both loathed and loved.

It had given him valuable experience of how easily the mind could be controlled, but it also planted the seed of doubt, which made Clint question every mission that he went on—if every target was worth taking out, and why they had to be taken out.

Natalia moaned softly, shifting her position on the bed slightly. "Natasha?" Clint asked cautiously, unsure of whether or not she would awake in a fit. Natalia stilled, surprised to hear her name. She turned to face Clint. "Where am I?"

"We're back at S.H.I.E.L.D. The mission was a success."

Natalia relaxed momentarily, relieved. She tensed again, remembering what had happened. Quickly, she began to take off the bandages, which were hooked up to an IV. Clint rushed to the bed. "Natasha, what are you doing? You have to rest."

"Yeah, and I can go rest in my room." She got up and walked hurriedly to the door, Clint following her close behind. She was halfway down the hallway when Clint grabbed her shoulder. She jerked violently, throwing his hand off. "Leave me alone, Barton."

"But-"

She whipped around, enraged. "I said leave me alone. Now." Natalia proceeded down the hall, leaving the archer standing limply.

* * *

After recollecting his composure, Clint headed to a different section of medical where their target was being held. When he got there, Steve was already there looking through the glass, gazing intently at their captive.

On the table inside, there was a burly man who was sedated and strapped down. He had long, overgrown hair. The man was extremely muscular, most likely another super soldier, but Clint had been able to take him out easily since he had caught him off guard.

"How long has he been out?" Clint asked as he walked up to the glass.

"This whole time."

Clint turned to face his friend who was staring intensely at their captive. He noticed that Steve's entire body was tense except for his jaw, which was quivering slightly. Clint, who knew Steve to be a very kind and lax man, was startled to see his friend like this.

"Steve, is something wrong?"

Steve shook his head 'no', but a faint moistness in his eyes said otherwise.

"It's okay, you can tell me."

Steve sighed, his expression caught somewhere between guilt and distraught. "I know him, Clint. That's my best friend, Bucky Barnes."

Clint was stunned. Unsure of what to say next, he turned to face the glass again.

"I… I don't know how this happened," confusion filled Steve's voice, "He fell off that train, and…" Steve tensed again, his entire body becoming completely rigid this time. "It must've been an experiment." He muttered softly.

"What?"

"During World War II, my squad and I were returning from a rescue mission, and we had found him in a Hydra facility. Bucky was strapped to a table, but I didn't think much of it then," Steve closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing, "When we were headed home, we were ambushed and Bucky fell off the train into the gorge. I guess, they must've…" Steve punched the glass suddenly, a minute fracture appearing.

"Steve, it's not your fault, OK?"

"I could've done more to—"

"Steve, don't do this to yourself. Blaming yourself isn't going to help; I've been there before, it's not worth it."

Steve sighed, "Okay, thanks. I'm just going to stick around here a bit more. Go get some sleep, Clint, I know you're tired. I'll check on Natasha later." Clint arched his eyebrow momentarily, but nodded, thanking his friend before leaving for his quarters.


End file.
